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Why did you come to Seaford?
I came from Great Ballard. The facilities at Seaford are fantastic. And when you drive up that drive, wow! Seeing the sports fields and all the different blocks, it’s in a league of its own. You can see the drive and enthusiasm that everyone has to keep moving forwards. I admire the way the school always looks to the future and doesn’t look backwards. Continue reading →

Congratulations to all of our Prep School Years 2-5 students for a magnificent Christmas performance of ‘Baboushka’. It was simply amazing and all the children performed brilliantly. Thank you to everyone who came along and made the evening so special and for the wonderful costumes.

As part of our Creative Curriculum, the Prep School embarked upon Flight Week. With a range of educational and creative activities, the aim was to lay down conceptual understanding of essential themes required for the curriculum in future education.

The children were divided up into six groups, made up of mixed ages, representing six countries – South Africa, Mexico, Italy, India, Canada and New Zealand. This enabled our younger and older children to work together in teams – collaboration is an essential skill for our children’s lives in the future. Continue reading →

As we welcomed all students back to Seaford Prep at the start of the year they had a fun filled activity week. The exciting induction activities and trips encouraged new friendships and supported the transition to a new school or year group. The activities were designed to help the children get to know one another and to help them adjust to their new classrooms and teachers.

The week started with a Woodland Walk complete with a teddy bears’ picnic. The children brought in their favourite teddy or cuddly toy and explored the woods.

The next day those from Years 2 – 5 took part in a circus workshop. They loved every minute and learnt all sorts of new skills. It was fabulous seeing the children working together as they mastered plate spinning, juggling, hula hooping and even stilt walking.

Best Ever A Level Results for Seaford College! John Green’s Academic Strategy for Seaford pays dividends as record numbers of students head for Russell Group and 1st Choice Universities.

John Green said, “I’m immensely proud of what all of our students have achieved, we’ve consistently seen improvements each year and it’s great to see our best ever results this year, enabling our students to go onto to their chosen route on leaving the School. Seaford is a proud academically non-selective School and no matter what pathway our students have taken, they’ve met our academic expectations at all levels and achieved their best ever A Level & BTEC results.

We caught up with some of our 2018 A Level students when they came in to open their results and heard what they meant to them. To read their stories, click on the links below:

Best Ever GCSE Results for Seaford College! John Green’s Academic Strategy for Seaford pays dividends as record numbers achieve top new grade 9 score!

John Green said, “I’m immensely proud of what all of our students have achieved, we’ve consistently seen improvements each year and it’s great to see our best ever results for both GCSE and A Level. I am so proud of what we have achieved through teamwork with students, staff and parents. My academic strategy and culture of ambition is firmly embedded at all levels. The academic momentum and all-round ambition has seen success across every quartile; we have the best results across the board, from the academically gifted through to those that find the exam process a challenge.

We caught up with some of our 2018 GCSE students when they came in to open their results. To read their stories, click on the links below:

The show will feature a variety of pieces in a wide range of styles including, jazz, contemporary and ballet. It will be a showcase of all of Seaford’s extra-curricular clubs and some GCSE classwork with students from years 4-11 performing.

Here’s a video showing an advanced contemporary dance workshop held recently in Johnson Centre with ella&co. Ella Fleetwood inspired our Year 10 GCSE dance students to broaden the scope of their dance education. The workshop allowed them to explore a different style of contemporary dance.

We are delighted to announce the details of Seaford College’s forthcoming production The Sound of Music.

The pupils are well into rehearsals of what is bound to be another spectacular Seaford show. The cast involves students from years 3-13, and the show will be the first of its kind in our new Performing Arts space in the Johnson Centre. Continue reading →

Last term the Senior Drama performers took to the stage with a wonderful production of Greek Theatre Tragedy, Antigone, and once again, Seaford College students demonstrated that they are capable of performing very challenging plays from a range of genres and historical periods.

Last week, the Young Shakespeare Company came to Seaford College to perform Macbeth to Year 9, in a fantastic event that inspired the students.

The YSC combines clear, accessible and well-paced acting with challenging yet inclusive workshop activities. The emphasis throughout is on the importance of choice and interpretation in the process of putting on a play. Continue reading →

Seaford held four performances of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance, kicking off with an open dress rehearsal and then 3 nights of performances.

The show was fun and energetic throughout, with fantastic turns from the principals and the supporting cast. Sara Reynolds, Director of Performing Arts at Seaford, was thrilled with how the show went.

“I couldn’t be more proud. The work ethic was incredible from the students and the staff that were involved and the outcome was more than I could have hoped for. It is an enormous task taking on a show like the Pirates of Penzance, with a cast of over sixty students and a back stage team and everybody put in a huge amount of work. It was a great learning curve for everyone involved and I think we entertained our audiences which is what we set out to do.”

Two of Seaford’s Senior students, Zachary McArthur and Yolanda Gumpo, spoke to us about taking part in the show. “I was so proud to be part of the production,” said Zachary. “I was delighted to get the role of Major General Stanley because it was a fun part to play and enabled me to expand my acting skills in front of an audience. We got an amazing reaction from the audiences and that was wonderful after all the hard work that had gone into the production.”

Yolanda found it a great experience. “The cast ranged from Year 7’s to Year 13’s and it was great to work with students from across the school. As one of the senior cast members I enjoyed working with the younger students and helping them backstage and it was a real team effort.”

“It was an amazing performance last night – so energetic and funny. Well done. We also loved the seaside nibbles in the candy stripe bags” was one comment on Seaford’s Facebook page.

What do you do for a living now? I run my own business, Lloyd-Coombes Ceramics – Animal Sculpture. The main part of my business is selling my sculptures but I also teach short courses, hold demo days and talks, provide work to galleries and take on personalised commissions.

Have you always done this? Yes. I went to Loughborough University to study ceramics and set up my business full-time straight after graduating.

What are your happiest memories from your time at Seaford? Being a boarder and the family atmosphere that is formed within the boarding house between friends and staff. When you leave you make many friends, at university and work, but they never know you as well as those you have lived with and grown up with.

What do you feel were the greatest benefits of attending Seaford? The opportunity to board. You are treated as an individual and encouraged to be an individual; taught to follow the expectations you set for yourself, not ones that are put upon you by others.

Are you still in touch with many other alumni? Yes.

When was the last time you were back at the school? In June to teach a workshop. Prior to that, I’d been back a few years earlier to show my husband where I grew up.

How did you come to be involved in your line of work? Through Seaford teaching ceramics as a GCSE.

What are your plans for the future? To relocate the business to the Brecon Beacons, where it will have space to grow. We will be building accommodation for my courses and developing a hands-on area with the animals to teach and inspire the students.

What advice do you have for current Seaford pupils? To the girls: enjoy! You will probably only live in a mansion once in your life.

Seaford College alumnus Felicity Lloyd-Coombes visited the school’s art department last Friday for a ceramic workshop. Felicity is now a professional ceramic artist and spent a productive day with our Year 10/12 3D Design pupils.

“Felicity shared her passion for ceramics with GCSE students as she demonstrated her sculptural skills and techniques,” said 3D Design teacher Miss Wiggin, who organised the session. “Felicity works with a unique hand-building method using paper clay over a chicken wire frame. Each pupil successfully sculpted a 3D clay hare, which they were all very proud of. It was wonderful to see the different personalities of the hare sculptures develop over the course of the day.”

The pupils based their work on one of Felicity’s reclining hares and followed a step-by-step demonstration. She assisted each of them individually as they worked, using pliers to manipulate the wire and wooden skewers to support the long ears as they dried. Paper clay is a mixture of clay and paper pulp that creates a wonderful texture and is surprisingly light when fired.

The pupils then cut back into their hare sculptures to make the slits for the eyes with scissors, with some of them feeling apprehensive as they didn’t want to ruin their pieces. The work will take at least four weeks to dry out before it is fired. Students will then use glaze and oxide to decorate their pieces.

Felicity defines the structure of muscles and bones in her work accurately, although pupils were encouraged to exaggerate the feet and ears of their hare, and she spends a lot of time observing British animals at first-hand.

She recognised some of her old teachers around the school, where she used to be a boarder, and enjoyed looking around the school site and seeing all of the changes that have occurred since her time studying here.

“Felicity made it look very easy!” said Miss Wiggin. “She was very encouraging and positive in her approach, and the pupils were very proud of their work and asked to take their hares home on the day! All the students achieved an excellent result that will count towards their 3D Design coursework.”

In May, Seaford College Prep School gave a rousing performance of Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. For two nights the College assembly hall resounded with the show’s hit songs, such as Tomorrow, It’s the Hard Knock Life and You’re Never Fully Dressed without a Smile. The young cast did a great job of bringing to life this heartwarming story of orphan Annie and her eventual adoption by ‘Daddy’ Warbucks, based on the 1930s American cartoon strip by Harold Gray.

Charlotte Cragg was outstanding in the title role, finding just the right balance of pathos and humour as well as beautifully performing some of the show’s most famous songs. The other orphans were played by Lauren Goldsmith, Ellie Clarke, Nia Burkinshaw, Amy Styles, Saskia Hodder and Erin Harte, all of whom really brought the stage to life with their song and dance numbers.

Sam Brown made his debut Seaford performance as Oliver Warbucks, the busy industrialist who opens his home and heart to little orphan Annie. For such a young performer he captured the role with great sensitivity, creating some lovely poignant moments in his duets with Charlotte.

The dastardly Rooster Hannigan and Lily St Regis were played to great effect by Nick Easton and Tilly Woodford, with Lottie Hubbard excelling as the more saintly Grace Farrell. The gloriously wicked Miss Hannigan was given a most accomplished performance by Cameron Cragg, who fully exploited the comedic potential of the role throughout the show.

Director Dr Jane Askew said: “The show was a lot of fun to work on. The children were very committed to learning their songs and their lines, and seemed to really enjoy learning the dance routines with me as well. We had lots of warm and congratulatory feedback from the audiences, so the cast can be very proud of their achievements.”

Save the date! The Seafordstock 2016 music festival will be held on Wednesday 29 June from 6.30pm-10pm on the terraces behind Mansion. Admission is free and attendees are welcome to bring their own picnic and refreshments. Gates will open at 6pm.

One of the most exciting musical events in the Seaford College calendar will be staged at the end of June.

The Jazz Night will take place on Friday 24 June at 7.30pm in the school’s dining room and will feature performances from the Seaford Jazz Band and other artists. The evening will also include a welcome cocktail (‘The Dizzy Gillespie’) and a dinner featuring a course of cheese and port. Tickets are £25/£20 and are available from bookings@seaford.org

This year Seaford College Prep School is proud to present as its annual production the musical Annie. This will take place in the College’s main Assembly Hall on Wednesday 25 and Thursday 26 May at 7pm. Pre-show refreshments will be available in the Hollington Centre from 6.30pm.

Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years, setting a record for the Alvin Theatre. It spawned numerous productions in many countries, as well as national tours, and won the Tony Award for Best Musical. The songs Tomorrow, It’s the Hard Knock Life and You’re Never Fully Dressed without a Smile are among its most popular musical numbers.

We always have a fantastic audience for the Prep School shows, and again look forward to welcoming parents, grandparents, friends and teachers for what will be a great evening of entertainment.

The Young Shakespeare Company came into Seaford College yesterday to run a workshop with all our Year 9 students on Macbeth, this term’s set text. The students were treated to an interactive workshop plus a performance of the play that involved some of the pupils taking on roles. The afternoon was a great celebration of performance and literature, especially apt given the fact it took place on the 400th anniversary of the passing of The Bard.

Story teller Paul Jackson recently visited Seaford College to conduct a series of workshops and talks over the course of two days, including some atmospheric sessions beside a campfire in Seaford’s forest school.

“He was absolutely captivating. He held the attention of a number of different groups and each story was different,” said modern languages teacher Clive Thorpe, who organised the visit. “He very quickly picked up on the mood of each particular group and setting.

“He was very personable and engaged with each student, from Year 6 pupils to Year 13 students who are preparing for exams. He has a real gift for explaining how to tell stories and employ dramatic effect. As each session finished, you always felt they could have gone on for longer – no one was fed up.”

Mr Thorpe first became aware of Paul when he saw him on the BBC show Countryfile and plans to bring him back to Seaford next year.

Seaford College audiences were treated to an outstanding evening of musical entertainment by senior students last weekend. The Broadway Buffet offered a selection of highlights from some of the most popular musicals of all time, including Cabaret, Oliver!, The Phantom of the Opera and The Blues Brothers, as well as medleys of works by Gilbert & Sullivan and Rodgers & Hammerstein.

Following a string of highly successful musical productions over the past few years, this evening was intended as an opportunity for students to showcase their talents across a range of musical genres. The singing ensemble, largely comprised of members of the Chapel Choir, was led by Director of Voice Sara Reynolds, and the accompanying band by Head of Music Jeremy Weaver. A supper was served by our excellent catering department, with courses corresponding to each musical section.

First on the menu were three songs from the hit Broadway show Cabaret. Adam Newman set the tone for an evening of fun and entertainment with his flamboyant performance as the MC, backed by the all-singing, all-dancing cabaret girls Alexandria White, Araminta Johannes, Andrea Aranda, Abbey Caveney and Anastasia Emile. Alexandria gave a powerful and compelling rendition of Maybe This Time, which was followed by the show’s iconic song Cabaret, with an upbeat and sassy performance by the girls. Next came songs from Lionel Bart’s Oliver!, with ensemble performances of Food Glorious Food and Who Will Buy? and Alfie Whitchurch’s lovely solo rendition of Where is Love?.

After this we were transported to the Paris Opéra Populaire of 1905 for five songs from The Phantom of the Opera. Beci Eden as Christine Daaé stunned the audience with her accomplished soprano voice, singing Think of Me and The Phantom of the Opera, with Robbie Steward as the Phantom. Next there was a change of cast, with Zach McArthur playing the Phantom for The Music of the Night, and Robbie returning as Raoul accompanied by Ellie Baker as Christine for the wonderfully romantic All I Ask of You and hauntingly beautiful Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again.

A feast of Gilbert & Sullivan came next, as girls from the Chapel Choir performed highlights from The Mikado, with beautifully evocative solos from Jaime Pardey, Nell Chadwick, Daisy Hanbury and Eva Glynne-Jones. Then suddenly the Assembly Hall doors burst open and we were beset by cutlass-wielding pirates led by Tom Holder as the Pirate King, and treated to a spirited presentation of highlights from The Pirates of Penzance. In a complete change of style and location, the evening then moved to Illinois for Seaford’s version of The Blues Brothers Band. Led by Mark Reynolds, the student band (Munroe Graham, Annabel Jeffries, George Limpus, Sebastian Limpus, Jonathan North, Danny Westcott) supported great solo vocal performances from Yolanda Gumpo, Robbie Steward, Tom Holder and Ross Donaldson.

The climax of the show brought us an energetic medley of Rodgers & Hammerstein hits, with Hannah Wardrop leading the ensemble onto the stage in a pastiche of the famous opening sequence from The Sound of Music and Yolanda Gumpo singing the closing number, a soulful version of You’ll Never Walk Alone. By popular demand, the ensemble provided us with a magnificent encore, Do You Hear the People Sing? from Schönberg & Boublil’s Les Miserables, which was met by a standing ovation from the audience on both evenings.

Dr Jane Askew, co-director of the show, said: “We are incredibly proud of all the students involved in the show. There were some very accomplished performances and the audience received a taste of the tremendous talent we have at Seaford College, as well as enjoying a great night out!”

Just before half-term, Seaford College GCSE Drama and A Level Theatre Studies students visited the award-winning National Theatre production of War Horse at the New London Theatre in Drury Lane, London. Sadly the show closes at the end of the month, so this was a great opportunity to see what has become an iconic piece of British theatre during its run over the past nine years.

At the heart of the show are the fabulous horses created by Handspring Puppet Company and brought to life so magically by their puppeteers. The show is a theatrical adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s novel about a boy and his horse, who become separated due to the First World War. In following the horse’s story we see the horrors of war for both British and German soldiers and the civilian characters caught up in its relentless path.

“The students were particularly struck by the great attention to detail in all aspects of the production,” said Dr Jane Askew, Head of Drama. “The puppeteers are incredibly skilful and meticulous in the way they bring the horses to life and the open stage is reconfigured into a whole variety of settings including a Devonshire farm, a troop ship undertaking an ocean crossing, and a Somme battlefield, with the aid of atmospheric lighting, sound, projections and simple but hugely effective staging techniques.

“AS and GCSE students will have a lot to write about this production in their forthcoming examinations, so all in all it was a highly successful and productive theatre visit.”